Prong anchoring and hiding construction



Jan. 16, 1968 D, REITER 3,353,292

PRONG ANCHORING AND HIDING CONSTRUCTION Filed July 12, 1966 DANIEL l. REITER 5 BY apiro and Shapiro ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,363,292 PRONG AN CHORING AND HIDING (IONSTRUCTION Daniel I. Reiter, 868 6th Ave., New York, N.Y. 10009 Filed July 12, 1966, Ser. No. 564,642 8 Claims. (c1. 24-265) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The disclosed devices for anchoring and hiding the prongs of fasteners employ louvred strips. In a representative embodiment a metal strip has a series of louvres formed side-by-side and oriented with their width transverse to the plane of the strip, thereby providing a series of closely spaced prong openings separated by edges of the louvres, so that many pronged passages are available. The louvred strip is integral with a wall member bowed away from the series of louvres in order to deflect and hide prongs inserted through the passages.

This invention relates to the anchoring and hiding of the prongs of fasteners, connectors or other body members, and more particularly is concerned with the anchoring and hiding of the prongs of body members of the type which serve as fasteners for handles, locks, ornaments, or decorations attached to sheets or panels, such as those of which ladies handbags are comprised.

In the making of ladies handbags or the like, it is common practice to pass the prongs of a fastener through the outer layer of handbag material and into the interior of the bag, where the prongs are bent back against the inner surface of the material to anchor them. To strengthen the attachment of the fastener to the handbag material, a washer is employed, usually a plate which is placed against the inner surface of the outer layer of material and which has openings through which the prongs pass when they emerge from the outer layer. The prongs are then bent back against the inner side of the washer, the washer serving to anchor the prongs of the fastener, and the prongs serving to hold the washer.

When such prong anchoring devices are employed in unlined handbags, the prongs and washers remain exposed inside the bag, detracting from the appearance of the bag interior and providing sharp projections which may snag or tear delicate articles. The devices disclosed and claimed in the applicants prior patent, No. 2,928,153, issued Mar. 15, 1960, provide a solution to this problem. These devices have a depressed wall that is shaped to bend the sheetpenetrating prongs and to hide them.

In specific commercial forms of the applicants prior invention the devices have flat bar anchoring members with major surfaces parallel to the surface of the sheet penetrated by the prongs. The number and position of the prong passages adjacent to the anchoring bars are limited by the need for providing suflicient bar width to ensure the necessary strength. The prong spacing which can be used with a particular anchoring device is restricted, because each prong must be aligned with an enter a corresponding passage.

It is accordingly a principal object of the present invention to provide improved devices of the foregoing type having greater versatility and ease of use than the devices known heretofore.

More specifically, it is an object of the invention to provide unique devices which maintain the virtues of the devices disclosed and claimed in the aforesaid prior patent and yet provide additional prong passages, closely spaced, so as to accommodate a wide range of prong spacings and to facilitate prong insertion.

A further object of the invention is to provide improved prong anchoring and hiding devices which are easier to install and which facilitate bending of the prongs in the desired directions.

Briefly stated, the invention is concerned with prong anchoring and hiding devices in which the anchoring bars are formed as a series of louvres oriented edge-wise to the penetrated sheet, so as to provide many closely spaced prong passages.

The foregoing and other objects, advantages, and features of the invention, and the manner in which the same are accomplished will become more readily apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, which illustrates preferred and exemplary embodiments, and wherein:

FIGURE 1 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a typical application of a device constructed in accordance with the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view taken along line 22 of FIGURE 1 but with the device shown installed;

FIGURE 3 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the use of a modified device of the invention;

FIGURE 4 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the use of still another form of the invention; and

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view illustrating a variation of louvre construction in accordance with the invention.

Referring to the drawing, FIGURE 1 illustrates the application of the invention to the attachment of a handle to a layer of material, such as the sheet material of a ladies handbag, but this application of the invention is merely illustrative, the invention being useful in many other types of prong anchoring applications. A device 10 of the invention is shown associated with a box-like body member 12 for securing the handle 14 to a layer of material 16. The box-like member 12 and the handle may be conventional,

' member 12 having openings 18 at its opposite ends (one being shown) which receive the aligned extremities 20 of a ring 22. The ring passes through a loop 24 formed at the end of the handle 14, as by folding the handle back upon itself and clamping the juxtaposed handle layers with a decorative metal clamp 26. The extremities 20 of the ring 22 may be forced apart to permit their insertion in the openings 18 of the body member 12. The body member 12 is attached to the layer of material 16 by passing a plurality of prongs 28 of the body member through the material 16 and by anchoring the prongs to the device 10 as will be described more fully hereinafter.

Device 10 comprises a plate or wall member 38 that is shaped to form a depression 40 (see FIGURE 2). In the form shown the depression is generally cylindrical. The ends of the depression may be open, or closed as shown at 41 in FIGURE 1.

The device also includes anchoring members in the form of spaced louvres 42, which are supported over the depression 40. The louvres have substantially parallel longitudinal axes which are substantially parallel to the axis of the cylindrical wall 38. At each side of each louvre there is a prong opening or passage 44. The ends of the louvres are preferably integral with louvre-supporting bars 46 extending from the sides of wall 38. Bars 46 may terminate at a fiat bar 48 or at a louvre.

In practice, the device may be formed from a flat rectangular strip of metal. Louvres 42 may be punched out of end portions of the strip and twisted about axes perpendicular to the length of strip so as to be oriented with their width transverse to the strip, thereby to define a series of closely-spaced passages separated by edges of the louvres. Wall portion 38 may be depressed at the same time that the louvres are formed or in a separate operation. The louvred ends of the strip may then be folded back over the depressed wall 38.

In using the device 10 to anchor and hide the prongs 28, the body member 12 is located in its proper position relative to the layer of material 16, and the device It} is aligned with the body member at the opposite side of the layer. The body member 12 is then moved toward the adjacent side of layer 16, so that the prongs 28 penetrate the layer and emerge from the other side. Usually the holes in layer 16 for the prongs are formed by the prongs themselves, but pre-formed holes may be used.

When the prongs emerge from the other side of layer 16, they pass through corresponding openings 44 of device 10. Continued movement of the prongs toward device 10 causes the prongs to engage the concave surface of the wall member 38, which slopes away from sheet 16 in the direction of the central portion of the wall member. As shown in FIGURE 2, the engagement of prongs 28 with wall 38 bends the prongs at opposite sides of the body member 12 toward each other and also deflects them back toward the louvres.

Normally, the body member 12, layer 16, and the anchoring device 10 are assembled by placing the body member and the anchoring device in the opposing jaws of a press with layer 16 intervening. The force exerted on the prongs 28 when the jaws are closed to engage the prongs with wall member 38 is sufiicient to cause the prongs to bend laterally and at the same time to curve back toward the sheet 16 and away from the wall member 38. The'prongs are preferably staggered as shown in FIGURE 1, so that they interlace when bent. The prongs then embrace spaced louvres 42, anchoring the body member 12 to layer 16 and also afiixing the anchoring device 10 to layer 16. The curved wall member 38 hides the anchored prongs from view and presents a smooth, continuous exposed surface.

By virtue of the edge-wise presentation of twisted louvres 42 to the emerging prongs the openings 44 occupy a much greater proportion of the surface of the anchoring device facing the emerging prongs. It is therefore easy to insert the prongs into the anchoring device without critical alignment. At the same time prong spacing is not critical, because of the large number of anchoring members, and a variety of prong spacings may be used with the same anchoring device.

The louvres may be inclined toward the central portion of wall member 38 (or otherwise angulated as desired) so as to give initial direction to the prongs to facilitate prong bending. Prong bending may also be facilitated by having the tips of the prongs slightly inclined in the desired bending direction.

By providing louvres which are twisted from the metal strip stock, the substantial number of prong passages and prong anchoring members is provided without sacrificing strength. In fact the twisted louvres are quite rigid and are not easily deformed under the stresses applied by the prongs.

FIGURES 3 and 4 illustrate modified forms of prong anchoring and hiding devices of the invention, which may be used with other conventional types of pronged body members. Elements corresponding to those previ- 4 ously described have been designated by the same reference characters but with the suffix A in FIGURE 3 and the sufiix B in FIGURE 4.

In the embodiment of FIGURE 3 it will be noted that the aspect ratio differs from that of FIGURE 1, the anchoring device being longer in the direction perpendicular to the axes of the louvres 42A. This permits the provision of a larger number of louvres and intervening openings, to accommodate a wider range of prong spacings in body members such as the two-prong member 12A. A1- most the entire side of the anchoring device which faces layer 16A is occupied by the passages between the louvres.

In the form of the invention illustrated in FIGURE 4, the prong anchoring and hiding device is similar to that illustrated in FIGURE 1 but has a single wing provided with louvres 42B, the other side of the wall 38B terminating in a lip 50. Prongs 28B of body member 12B may thus embrace the bar 48B and as many louvres as is dictated by the prong spacing. As in FIGURE 1, bar 48B may be replaced by a louvre.

FIGURE 5 illustrates a modification of the louvre configuration. Elements corresponding to those previously described are again designated by the same reference characters but with the sufiix C. Louvres 420 are bowed upwardly away from Wall 38C so as to provide additional space between the louvres and the wall member. This louvre configuration may be utilized in any of the embodiments previously described.

While preferred embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes can be made in these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined in the appended claims. Accordingly, the foregoing embodiments are to be considered illustrative, rather than restrictive of the invention, and those modifications which come within the meaning and range of equivalents of the claims are to be included therein.

The invention claimed is:

1. A prong anchoring device having a strip member with an integral louvre oriented with its width transverse to the plane of the strip member and having prong passage openings at opposite sides of said louvre, said strip member being integral with and formed over a wall member and spaced therefrom, forming a cavity therebetween, said wall member being bowed away from the strip member and bowed transverse to said louvre.

2. A prong anchoring device having a strip member with a series of louvres formed side-by-side and oriented with their width transverse to the plane of the strip member, thereby providing a series of closely spaced openings separated by edges of said louvres, said strip member being integral with and formed over a wall member and spaced therefrom, forming a cavity therebetween, said wall member being bowed away from the strip member and bowed transverse to said series of louvres.

3. The device of claim 2, said louvres being twisted about their longitudinal axes.

4. The device of claim 2, said louvres being bowed away from said wall member.

5. The device of claim 2, said louvres being inclined with respect to said strip member in order to direct the bending of prongs entering said openings.

'6. The device of claim 2, said strip member having a pair of bars extending from one side of said wall memher and supporting the opposite ends of said louvres.

7. A fastener assembly comprising a member having prongs and a device for anchoring said prongs, said device having a strip member with a series of louvres formed sideby-side and oriented with their width transverse to the plane of the strip member, thereby providing a series of closely spaced prong openings separated by edges of said louvres, said prongs being inserted through selected prong openings and bent back around selected louvres.

8. A prong anchoring device having -a strip. member comprising a pair of end portions With a series of louvres formed side-by-side and oriented with their Width transverse to the plane of the strip member, thereby providing a series of closely spaced prong openings separated by edges of said louvres, said end portions being integral with a wall member and formed over the wall member and spaced therefrom forming a cavity therebetween, said wall member being bowed away from the strip member and bowed transverse to the series of said louvres.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Valentine 98l21 Goldberg 98121 Hoch 24-227 Reiter 24208 DONALD A. GRIFFIN, Primary Examiner. 

